Sunday, June 26

"The Beaver" by Jodie Foster

"The Beaver" is not a strange story, people are getting into depression and lethargic stages more than in the preceding century, not because things are worse, but because we lost our ability to talk, to resolve our problems facing them without fear and with our heads up, we lost our ability to move on, we stick to bad things too much, we can't let go and we accumulate too much pressure being of work, family, friends, ourselves...the world is a conniving bitch theses days and we stand so hard to survive...

This film directed by the 2 Oscar awarded actress Jodie Foster tells us a story of a family in which the parent (Mel Gibson) has acute depression, so profound he stays almost catatonic...but when this continues Jodie's character has no more to do than to throw him out to protect their sons from his madness. He thinks he is a failure, his father built a toy company and he is just in his shoes by inheritance..he is not fulfilled, but he does not know what he wants now, depression talks for him anyway....

Change occurs when he finds a lost toy, a stuffed beaver and decide to keep him, and while in a very threaten situation, the puppet comes to life in his bare hand, as a real puppet, an advisor, an incentive to life and creation, and from now on he learns to live again, he conquers most of his family, except his older sun, who's objective is to eliminate everything similar to this father so that madness cannot befall on him.

Everything tends to the better, because the beaver restored his self-esteem, but everything comes to a price, and at a certain point the puppet must leave...but how when is intrinsic to his soul and body. Catharsis happens and never will be the same.

Mel Gibson has an extraordinary performance here, as well as all the cast, Jodie gets older with such graciousness that is amazing to see. The film is very well supported by Anton Yelchin (as the elder son), and Jennifer Lawrence (as schoolmate vs potential girlfriend).

I enjoyed the story, it is sad, but it's touching and it's nice to see that real family problems are put to screen, maybe it will educate some minds and we'll be more tolerant towards this type of disease that's not easy to pull out nor live with or within it.